Part 3

"Aug. 22. The pinnace and yawl with the capt^n. and gentlemen went on shore to examine the contry and view the Coast. from one of the Hills some time after saw some Turtle. At 6 Possession was taken of this contry in his Majesty's Name and under his Colours, fired severell volleyes of small arms on y^e Occasion and cheard 3 Times which was answ^d. from y^e ship".

_Gunner Forwood_ has a short story on Possession:--

"The Capt^n. took Possession of the country in his Majesty's Name &c. This was announced from the shore Vollies Fired and Colours flying from on board with D^o. concluding with 3 cheers."

_John Bootie's Log_ treats the Possession narrative in the exact terms of another, saying:--

"August 22. At 6 possession was taken of this locality in his Majesty's Name &c. This was announced from the shore by Vollies and answered from on b^d. with Colours flying and concluding with 3 Cheers."

Here, again, as in the other cases, the words "New South Wales" do not occur.

The _Palliser_ or _Sunderland_ Log of Mr. Hudson's may be quoted:--

"Betwixt these two points we could see no land, so that we were in great hopes we had found a passage into the India Sea, but in order to be a little inform'd I landed with a party of men on the Island which lays on the right side of the Passage where from a hill I could see no lands in the above direction Before and after we anchor'd we saw many of the Natives upon this Island, but they all fled upon my landing--a little before Sun sett I took Possession of the country in His Majesty's Name, and fired a volley of small arms on the occasion, which was answered from the ship."

On this _Possession_ subject we have the weightiest authority, Cook's _autograph Log_, _Museum Catalogue_, 27,885 for August 22, when leaving the Australian coast:--

"We were in great hopes that we had found a passage into the India Sea but in order to be better inform'd I landed with a Party of men on the Island which lays to the S.E. side of the Passage where from a hill saw no land in the above direction. Before and after we anchor'd we saw a good many of the Natives upon this Island but they all fled upon my landing. A little before sunsett I took possession of the Country in His Majesty's name and fired 3 Volleys of small arms on the occasion which was answerd from the ship. High water at 4 o'clock," &c.

_Banks's Log_ (of Cook), 8959 of Museum Catalogue, remarked:--

"The Pinnace and Yawl with the Capt^n. and gentlemen went on shore to Examine the Country and view the Coast from one of the Hills soon after saw some Turtle. It was high water. When we came too the Tide of Ebb set from the S.W. 5k. 2m. per hour. At 6 possession was taken of this Country in his Majesty's name and under his Colours fired several volleys of small arms on the occasion and cheer'd 3 times which was answer'd from the ship."

In each case of Cook's real _Logs_ no name of any kind would appear to have been selected for the country, else, in all probability, it would have been stated in one or in both Logs.

The Chief Officer, Lieut. Hickes, knew nothing of taking possession of the land in the King's name as _New South Wales_.

His Log for August 21 refers to Chacho Harbour:

"Wednesday 22. Latt. 10° 45″ Long, made W. from y^e Straits 00° 13. These Straits are in Longitude 142° 25 E^t. The Capt^n. went on shore, hoisted y^e Colours and took possession of y^e Country for y^e King, fired several volleys and cheered 3 times which was answered from y^e Ship, at 10 a.m. slack water weighed and made sail."

The Log of _Richard Pickersgill_ gives this short version, imitating or being imitated:--

"At 6 _Possession_ was taken of this country in his Majesty's Name and this was announced from the shore by Vollies and answer'd from on b^d. Colours flying and concluding with 3 cheers."

The _Cook's Log_ presented by Sir Joseph Banks to the British Museum, and catalogued therein as 8959, is the most important of what Logs I, as an archivist, would regard the genuine Cook's, as it was sanctioned by the authority of a fellow voyager.

The quotation from this Log, on the taking possession of the territory, runs thus:--

"Mod. and clear wea^r. saw a number of smoaks along shore at 1 Lay too for the yawl, Pinnace and Longboat, Sounding ½ p^t. 2 made sail and steer'd for a passage, Between some Islands and the Main at 3 fired a gun and made the Signell for the Boats to sound the next Passage, to the N.ward of the above Mention'd ¾ p^t. 3 was in the Passage Dist^ce. from Each shore ¾ of a mile--saw several Indians who follow'd us shouting. At 4 fir'd a gun and made the Signell for the Boats. Came too with the B^t. Bower in 6¾ fa^m. good ground Veer'd to ½ a Cable. Ext^e. of the Land on the East side No. 56 E^t. an Island to S.W. the Main on the W^t. side from N.S.E. to S. 73 W^t. 8 miles Dist^ce. from the Eastern shore One mile. The Pinnace and yawl with the Capt^n. and Gentlemen went on shore to Examin the Country and view the Coast from one of the Hills. Soon after saw some Turtle it was high water. When we came too, the Tide of Ebb set from the S.W. 3k. 2m. p^r. Hour, at 6 possession was taken of this Country in his majesty's name and under his Coulours Fired several volleys of small arms on the occasion and Cheer'd 3 times, which was answer'd from the ship."

There is, therefore, in the most orthodox Logs of H.M.S. _Endeavour_, not any authority for the names of _Botany Bay_ and _New South Wales_.

END.

In a capital sketch of Captain Cook, appearing in the Sydney _Town and Country Journal_ on February 22, 1879, when the noble New South Wales statue to Captain Cook was unveiled, the writer observed, "what the legendary Æneas was to Rome, Captain James Cook is to Eastern Australia."

Though the remark only referred to the remarkable wanderings by both men over various seas, the word _legendary_ may, in a way, be applied to the two. The voyage of the _Trojan_ has been regarded by the learned men of Europe as mythical, or, at least, explanatory of shifting reckonings of time, or to such groupings of constellations as should elucidate human fancies, and the inventions of quasi-historians.

Æneas was but a poetical creation, and Cook was a living hero of the ocean. Yet, around the narratives of Cook's first southern voyage, when he was said to have discovered Eastern Australia, have gathered so many mysteries, as almost to give them the colour of myths.

Suspicions regarding the official account of the voyage arose at an early date. It leaked out, from those who had accompanied Cook, that the recorded official Admiralty narrative did not agree with their recollection of the several facts. The death of the author soon after the issue of his work increased the embarrassment as to the source of the materials from which he made his compilation. The second of Cook's voyages, so ably described by the Dean of Windsor, had the advantage of genuine logs, together with the presence and active assistance of the navigator himself. It unfortunately happened that most of the actors in the first or New Holland voyage were out of reach for questions whilst the story was being written.

Dr. Hawkesworth meant to prepare as interesting a narrative as he could, and tried to please home parties as flatteringly as circumstances permitted. Thus, men of science would be gratified by the selection of the place as _Botany Bay_, an Admiralty officer would be glad of the adoption of his name in _Port Jackson_, while the Dutch appellation of _New Holland_ gave place to the more British one of _New South Wales_. Even _Torres Strait_, that honoured the navigators of Spain and Portugal, surrendered to the English name of _Endeavour Strait_.

The value of Cook's second voyage in the _Resolution_, which was brought out by the Dean of Windsor, had the advantage of good logs, with the presence of Captain Cook at its revision, and was, consequently, never questioned as that of the _Endeavour_ had been under the editorship of Dr. Hawkesworth, which had a far more novel and romantic story to tell.

In a remarkable letter to Sir Joseph Banks by John Frederick Schiller, German translator of Hawkesworth's voyage, and dated November 14, 1773, the writer expresses the deep concern of a German bookseller at the wrong done to the sale of this translation by some published remarks in England, impugning the correctness of the official Admiralty narrative. He therefore seeks "some lines" from Sir Joseph, as Cook's fellow voyager, in refutation of those injurious assertions. The German scholar adds: "Mr. Ferber, an eminent mineralogist, says he has of late made a literary tour through Europe, and after his return from England asserted at Berlin that

"Not only the respective Commanders, Messrs. Biron, Wallis, Carteret, &c., had publicly protested against Dr. Hawkesworth's account of their voyages, as containing misrepresented facts, but also that especially Messrs. Banks and Solander had publicly declared that they had never delivered any Papers of theirs into that Editor's hands, and that the Public was to wait for their own narrative, which was to be published within 3 or 4 years."

Mr. Schiller goes on to say: "In order to support these assertions, Mr. Ferber is said to have produced a letter which he affirmed to have received from Mr. Banks, and in which all these assertions are plainly expressed and corroborated."

If, then, suspicions were excited immediately after the publication of our authorised and popular version of Cook's voyage, it is not surprising that further investigation, as now made, should develop renewed scepticism. The recent record of the London Press that the Corner's Log had been pronounced by the Admiralty experts to be genuine, and in Cook's own handwriting, might well puzzle outsiders.

Had Sir Joseph Banks publicly answered the appeal of Mr. Schiller in 1773, and satisfied the world as to the authenticity of Dr. Hawkesworth's story, the necessity of any subsequent controversy might have been avoided. In that appeal to Banks and Solander "in the cause of Truth, of Justice, of Honour and Humanity," we read that the two naturalists "intend to publish in five or six years hence, in sixteen or eighteen folios and two thousand copper plates, and totally unconnected with Dr. Hawkesworth's narrative." Such a great work did not appear. Why not? History does not tell.

There has been sufficient reason for the present writer's long silence upon this inquiry, and particularly since he had reported on Cook's logs some six years ago.

Now, however, as the acting archivist is just entering his eighty-fifth year, Colonial friends here deemed it a proper time for the printing of this pamphlet in the cause of Truth, Justice, and Honour, it being his last contribution to Colonial history, the series of which began in 1845 by the publication of his _Geography for Australian Youth_, which was the first production, by the Australian Press, of any _Geography of Australia_.

JAMES BONWICK.

NORWOOD, _July 8, 1901._

End of Project Gutenberg's Captain Cook in New South Wales, by James Bonwick